Apparatus for the production of crimped or bulk yarn



} Oct. 20, 1964 D. A. E. MATTINGLY 3,153,272

APPARATUS lf'OR THE PRODUCTION OF CRIMPED OR BULK YARN Filed July 13. 1961 2 SheetsSheet 1 ATTOIY/VEYJ- Oct 20, 1964 APPARATUS FOR- THE PRODUCTION OF CRIMPED 0R BULK YARN Filed July 13, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY Mp6 AZTOK/VEYS.

United States Patent 3,153,272 APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CED OR BULK YARN Denis Albert Edward Mattingly, London, England, as-

signor to The Klinger Manufacturing Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed July 13, 1961, Ser. No. 123,799 7 Claims. (Cl. 281) This invention relates to an apparatus and method for the production of crimped or bulked yarn from textile fibers, for example such as nylon, and in particular to improvements in compression or stutter-box type crimping to provide improved control of the pressure in the crimping chamber.

According to the invention the yarn is fed into a crimping chamber disposed between a bight on the delivery side of a pair of feed rollers and a movable member having an irregular surface for positively engaging the mass of crimped yarn formed in said crimping chamber, and the mass of crimped yarn is moved transversely from said crimping chamber at a speed substantially less than the feed speed of the yarn into said crimping chamber (for example, less than in the order of whereby the crimped yarn is positively removed from said crimping chamber at a uniform controlled rate without relative motion between the crimped yarn and said movable member so that the total effective back pressure at said bight, where crimping occurs, is actively determined and established primarily by the speed of movement of said irregular surface.

The term bight is used to define the space between the rollers on the delivery side immediately adjacent the locality where they approach one another most closely.

The following is a description of one embodiment of the invention reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the roller and buncher assemblage;

FIGURE 3 is an underplan of the parts shown in FIGURE 2; and 7 FIGURE 4 is a plan View of the mounting for the brush and heated rollers.

A number of upwardly extending supply bobbins (not shown) are arranged spaced apart along the length of the lower part of the machine and the yarn 11 is drawn oil" the upper end of each bobbin so as to pass upwardly. It then extends horizontally through an eye 12 and passes between two feed rollers 13 and 14 having spindles which are rotatably mounted in bearings 15, 16. The bearing 15 is fixed to a supporting member 17 whereas the bearing 16 is supported on a lever arm 18 pivotally mounted at 19 on the supporting member. A tension spring 20 is secured to the lever arm 18 so as to draw the roller 14 towards the roller 13. The upper ends of the spindles have fixed to them intermeshing pinions 21, 22. The former pinion engages an intermediate gear wheel 23 mounted on a spindle 24 extending through a bearing 25 fixed to the supporting member 17. The lower end of the spindle is provided with a pulley 26 which is engaged by a belt 50 extending the length of the machine. The gear wheel 23 engages another pinion 27 fixed to "ice a spindle 28 mounted in a bearing 29 on said supporting member 17, the lower end of which spindle is provided with a hollow roller 30. The hollow roller engages another hollow roller 31 fixed to a spindle 32 passing up through a bearing 33 which is mounted on a lever arm 34 pivotally connected at 35 to the supporting member 17. A spring 9 is connected below the arm 34 and support 17 so as to draw the hollow roller 31 towards the roller 31). The upper end of'the latter spindle 32 is provided with a pinion 36 which engages with the aforesaid pinion 27.

Located within each hollow roller is an electric heating coil 37, leads 38 and 39 which extend up through a bore formed in the spindle of the roller and are connected respectively to two slip rings 4%, 41 at the upper end of the spindle which are insulated from one another and firom the spindle and are engaged by brushes 42,

43 connected across an electric supply. Mounted also in a bearing 44 on the supporting member 17 is a spindle 45 to which is fixed a wire brush 46 having steel bristles which are arranged to extend into the bight between the two hollow rollers 36, 31. The spindle 45 is provided with a gear wheel 47 constituting a part of a train of gear wheels 48, one of which is fixed to the shaft 28 or" the heated roller 30.

The yarn passes between the two feed rollers 13 and 14 and between the two heated hollow rollers 30, 31 and is engaged by the rotating wire brush 46, the gearing 47, 48 being such that the circumferential velocity of the periphery of the brush is less than the circumferential velocity of the hollow rollers 39, 31 so that the yarn tends to be bunched in the bight between the two hollow rollers. The speed of rollers 13 and 14 is substantially the same as that of rollers 36 and 31 so as to prevent shrinkage of the yarn before being gripped by the heated roller 31.

The wire brush is rotated in such a direction that the bunched yarn in the bight is directed upwardly. The bunched yarn then passes over a heated surface shown diagrammatically at 51 so as to set or partly set the yarn in a bunched condition. The bunched yarn then passes between two driven nip rollers 52, 53 the former being fixed to a shaft 54 mounted in a bearing 55 fixed to a bracket 56 secured to the machine. The shaft 54 has a gear wheel 57 fixed to it and forming a part of a gear train (not shown) and driven from the driving shaft 60 for the roller 58 driving the take up bobbin 59 referred to later. The roller 53 is mounted on a spring actuated arm (not shown) for pressing the roller against the roller 52. The rollers 52, 53 are driven at such a speed as partly to draw out the bends in the bunched yarn. The bunched yarn passes from these latter rollers to a conventional bobbin 59 which is driven by a friction roller 58 at such a rate that the bends in the yarn are finally straightened out and the yarn is laid on the bobbin by suitable guide means.

Instead of the rotating brush being provided for effecting the bunching and for leading the bunched yarn away from the bight between the rollers there may be provided a rotor in the form of a disc. Alternatively there may be provided an endless band, the edge of which is arranged to project into the bight between the rollers and to extend along the length of the rollers.

In order that there may be a suitable shape of gap between the rollers through which the yarn issues the diameters of the rollers require to be comparatively small. In the case of the disc and brush the diameter thereof is preferably larger than the diameters of the rollers.

In order that adjustment may be provided by the extent to which the disc or brush enters the gap the bearing for the spindle of the disc or brush is adjustable on the supporting member 17.

It is found that different conditions require to be observed for different denier yarns. In the case of 70 denier yarns the rate at which the yarn is fed through the heated rollers is 2,700 inches per minute and the temperature of the roller should be 390 F. The wire brush which is two inches in diameter should be rotated at 10 revolutions per minute. In the case of 45 denier yarn the rate of feed through the heated rollers is 3,000 inches per minute the temperature of the roller should be 380 F. and the rate of rotation of the wire brush should be 9 revolutions per minute. In the case of 30 denier yarn the rate of feed through the heated rollers is 3,000 inches per minute the temperature of the roller should be 380' F. and the speed of the metal brush is 8 revolutions per minute.

In the above examples it thus may be seen that the mass of crimped yarn is removed from the confines of the crimping chamber at a relatively slow speed substantially less than the speed at which it enters the crimping chamber. For instance, in the first foregoing example, this relatively slow take away speed of the mass of crimped yarn is produced by the 2 inch diameter brush 45 rotating at 10 revolutions per minute in comparison with an input feed speed of the uncrimped yarn of 2,700 inches per minute, this giving a take away speed to input feed speed ratio of approximately I claim:

1. Apparatus for the production of crimped or bulked yarn from textile fibres in the form of a strand comprising a pair of feed rollers arranged to grip the strand therebetween and impart a longitudinal movement thereto, the bight on the delivery side of the said feed rollers defining one end of a crimping chamber, a rotatable member in the path of longitudinal movement of said strand mounted on an unyielding axis substantially opposite the line of entry of the strand through the bight of the feed rollers and cooperative with said bight to form walls of said crimping chamber, said member including an irregular surface peripheral portion for positively engaging the mass of crimped yarn within said chamber, rotatable drive means connected to said member for rotating said member at a peripheral speed in the order of A or less than the peripheral speed of said feed rollers to thereby positively remove the mass of crimped yarn from said crimping chamber at a uniform controlled rate without relative motion between the mass of crimped yarn and the rotatable member so that the effective back pressure at the bight of the feed rollers, where crimping occurs, is established primarily by the peripheral speed of the rotatable member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable member rotates about an axis transverse to and spaced from the axes of rotation of said feed rollers and is circular and has a plurality of flexible bristles extending into the bight of said feed rollers, the bristles of said rotatable member being axially compressed during their rotational passage through said bight so that a tight fit thereagainst is assured, the outer ends of said bristles defining said irregular surface peripheral portion for positively engaging and advancing the mass of crimped yarn transversely out of said crimping chamber.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the outside bristles of said rotatable member are of graduated shorter lengths than the centermost bristles to thereby give said rotatable member periphery a tapered cross-section.

4. Apparatus for crimping textile fibers in the form of a strand comprising, a pair of cooperating feed rollers for advancing the strand therebetween at a high rate of speed, a brush rotatably mounted about an axis transverse to the axes of rotation of said feed rollers and having a peripheral edge portion extending into the bight of and contacting the feed rollers to define boundaries of a crimping chamber therebetween, said brush including; a plurality of radially extending bristles whose outermost ends present an irregular peripheral surface for positively engaging the mass of crimped fibre within said crimping chamber; and means for continuously rotating said brush at a peripheral speed less than the peripheral speed of said feed rollers to thereby positively remove the crimped textile fibres from said crimping chamber at a uniform controlled rate equal to the peripheral speed of said brush.

5. A method of crimping a strand of textile fibre which comprises feeding the strand between a pair of feed rollers into a crimping chamber at a high linear input rate of speed against a small mass of just crimped textile fiber to push the mass against a wall portion of the crimping chamber having an irregularly shaped surface extending transverse to the line of feed of the strand, and driving the irregularly shaped surface of said crimping chamber at a speed less than of the input feed rate of the strand into said crimping chamber to remove the mass of crimped fibre transversely from the crimping chamber at the same rate of speed as the speed of the irregular shaped surface so that the total etfective back pressure at the bight of the feed rollers, where crimping occurs, is actively determined and established primarily by the speed of the irregularly shaped surface.

6. In the method of crimping a strand of textile fibres including the steps of feeding the strand between a pair of feed rollers into a confined space at a high rate of speed and withdrawing the crimped fibres transversely therefrom at a lower rate of speed, the improvement comprising, using an irregularly shaped surface to define a portion of said confined space in close proximity to the nip of said feed rollers and to positively engage the crimped textile fibres within said confined space, and moving said surface in the desired direction of transverse withdrawal of saidcrimped fibres at a reduced speed, for example in the order of less than of the speed of feeding the strand into the confined space, to thereby withdraw the crimped fibres from the confined space at the same rate of speed as the speed of said irregular shaped surface so that the total effective back pressure at the bight of the feed rollers, where crimping occurs, is actively determined and established primarily by the speed of movement of the irregularly shaped surface.

7. Apparatus for the production of crimped or bulked yarn from textile fibres in the form of a strand comprising opposed cooperative feed means having a bight on the delivery side thereof, said feed means being arranged to grip the strand therebetween and impart a longitudinal movement thereto, said bight defining one end of a crimping chamber, a movable member in the path of said longitudinal movement of said strand, said movable member being arranged to move across the opposite end of the crimping chamber transversely to the line of entry of the strand to said bight, said member including an irregular surface portion for positively engaging the mass of crimped yarn within said chamber, and means for moving said member at a surface speed substantially less than the feed speed of the yarn by said feed means, for example less than in the order of A to thereby positively remove the crimped yarn from said crimping chamber at a uniform controlled rate without relative motion between the crimped yarn and said movable member so that the total effective back pressure at the bight of the feed means, where crimping occurs, is actively determined and established primarily by the speed of movement of the irregularly shaped surface.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cadgene Oct. 30, 1934 Keen Feb. 16, 1954 Shattuck Aug. 14, 1956 Shattuck Aug. 28, 1956 Le Beauf Jan. 7, 1958 Rainard Oct. 7, 1958 Whitney Oct. 13, 1959 Robinson et a1. Dec. 1, 1959 10 COX et a1 Jan. 19, 1960 Skalko May 9, 1961 Scragg Mar. 6, 1962 List et a1 Apr. 3, 1962 Starkie Nov. 27, 1962 Stoddard et a1 Feb. 19, 1963 Rainard et a1 July 9, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 11, 1957 Great Britain July 12, 1961 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CRIMPED OR BULKED YARN FROM TEXTILE FIBRES IN THE FORM OF A STRAND COMPRISING A PAIR OF FEED ROLLERS ARRANGED TO GRIP THE STRAND THEREBETWEEN AND IMPART A LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THERETO, THE BIGHT ON THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE SAID FEED ROLLERS DEFINING ONE END OF A CRIMPING CHAMBER, A ROTATABLE MEMBER IN THE PATH OF LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID STRAND MOUNTED ON AN UNYIELDING AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE THE LINE OF ENTRY OF THE STRAND THROUGH THE BIGHT OF THE FEED ROLLERS AND COOPERATIVE WITH SAID BIGHT TO FORM WALLS OF SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER, SAID MEMBER INCLUDING AN IRREGULAR SURFACE PERIPHERAL PORTION FOR POSITIVELY ENGAGING THE MASS OF CRIMPED YARN WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, ROTATABLE DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER FOR ROTATING SAID MEMBER AT A PERIPHERAL SPEED IN THE ORDER OF 1/40 OR LESS THAN THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF SAID FEED ROLLERS TO THEREBY POSITIVELY REMOVE THE MASS OF CRIMPED YARN FROM SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER AT A UNIFORM CONTROLLED RATE WITHOUT RELATIVE MOTION BETWEEN THE MASS OF CRIMPED YARN AND THE ROTATABLE MEMBER SO THAT THE EFFECTIVE BACK PRESSURE AT THE BIGHT OF THE FEED ROLLERS, WHERE CRIMPING OCCURS, IS ESTABLISHED PRIMARILY BY THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF THE ROTATABLE MEMBER. 